Several locals with top track marks

The Oregon Relays are coming to Hayward Field next weekend, one of the premier regular-season track and field meets in the Northwest. The meet combines a college/pro section with a high school competition slate for an exciting two-day meet that features more than 70 teams. Hopefully the weather turns out better than what is predicted right now. As of Saturday afternoon, the weather for April 18-19 is forecast as showers and highs in the mid-60s.

To highlight the upcoming Relays and the natural midpoint in the high school track season, here’s a look at some locals who hold top five marks in the state. For a full list of the top marks in the state of Oregon, check out rankings on Athletic.net.

Boys
Thurston senior Cody Warner had a quick week for the Colts.

The sprinter won the boys 100 meters at the Laker Classic Invite in 10.95 seconds April 4, and he followed that up with a hand-timed 10.74 in a dual against South Eugene on Wednesday. The time is tied for the fastest in the state in any classification along with another local, Churchill’s Spenser Schmidt.

Schmidt, a senior, also holds the third fastest time in the 200 at 22.24 seconds. His mark of 23 feet in the long jump is second best.

Siuslaw’s Mack Marbas and Mitchell Butler (who is committed to the University of Oregon) both also hold top four marks in events. Butler’s 8 minutes, 37.9 seconds in the 3,000 was tops in the state for a while, but Alejandro Cisneros of Hermiston ran a blistering 8:32.10 April 4, a time that would have won him the Class 6A state championship last year (Matthew Maton of Summit set a state meet record in the 5A meet of 8:28.62).

Marbas is ranked fourth in the 1500 with a time of 4:04.96.

The boys 110-meter hurdles at Marist’s May 7 dual meet against South Eugene could be entertaining. South’s Calvin Park and Marist’s Liam Henshaw both have marks of 14.74 in the event, second in the state. Henshaw finished third at the 5A state meet last year in 110 hurdles. Park is also fifth in the 300 hurdles.

Sheldon’s 4×100-meter relay team is the defending 6A state champion, and the Irish have already put up a solid time of 42.62. Nathan Starnes, Tyus Kuykendall, Mitch Horning and Isaiah Pernell all return. Sheldon’s 4×400-meter relay team has the third-best time in the state.

Wyatt Cunningham of North Bend cleared 6 feet, 10 inches in the high jump at a recent meet, not only the best mark in the state but the second best mark in the country.

Girls
South Eugene’s Ana Richardson threw a personal-best 129-5 in the discus a month ago, and until recently it was the top mark in the state. Richardson, who was eighth in the state last year in the discus, has also put up personal bests in the shot put and javelin this outdoor season.

Samantha Tollerud of Churchill cleared 12 feet in the pole vault April 4 in a dual against North Eugene, coming within an inch of her personal record. It’s the second best mark in the state this season and an early indicator she’s set to defend her Class 5A title in the event that she won last May. Tualatin’s Laura Taylor holds the state’s top mark at 12-3. Tollerud is more than foot better at this point than the nearest 5A vaulter (Franklin’s Tessa Davis (10-9).

In the girls long jump, Sheldon’s Elizabeth Prevedello popped an 18-4 April 9 in a dual against Springfield, good enough for second in the state as of Saturday. Prevedello was eighth at the state meet last season, and her jump April 9 was a foot better than her previous best. For perspective, the winning mark at last year’s 6A state meet was 18-2.5, set by McKay’s Susannah Philbrick.

Ben Schorzman is an experienced preps reporter who worked at The News-Register in McMinnville for three years before coming to the Register-Guard in August of 2013. He's a University of Oregon grad and a fan of small-town high school sporting events in old gyms. Follow him on Twitter @benschoz_RG.